Chapter 12: Original Sin

Merida followed North as the larger man trudged through the snow covered forest, his boots crunching loudly against the frost. Next to him walked Donner, the reindeer's trot both regal and graceful as it moved through the snow. Glancing upwards, Merida saw Varis following them from above, dodging over, under and around as he flew through the skeletal branches that made up the forest canopy.

"So, vhat ees being ze story of you and bird?" North questioned as he looked up at Varis as well, slowing down so he and Merida were walking side by side.

"He used tae be Hilde's afore she...passed," Merida explained, watching as Varis flew ahead of them and landed on a branch before turning back and cawing loudly, "Ah started takin' care o' him afterwards."

"Ah, zat ees making sense," North replied with a sagely nod, "Vhat ees being hees name?"

"Ah ne'er heard whit Hilde called him," Merida admitted with a shrug, "Ah jist call him Varis."

"A fine name for a crow," North observed with a snort of laughter, "I can see you have been making a strong bond veeth heem."

"Whit dae ye mean by 'at?" Merida questioned, turning her attention towards North.

"Ve magi are able to be making strong bonds veeth other creatures, stronger zan a normal person ever could," North explained as he patter Donner on the side, "Vhy you be zeenking zees one follows me around so?"

Donner merely snorted in reply, earning a chuckle from North while a pensive look passed over Merida's features as she digested his words.

"Zees ees not ze first creature you have been bonding veeth, da?" North questioned, "Your dragon perhaps?"

"Nae, though Boudica daes hold a special place in ma heart," Merida answered with a shake of her head, "Ah used tae hae a horse named Angus. He was ma closest friend fer years, long afore Ah came tae Berk."

"Vhat happened to him?" North questioned, though he suspected he already knew the answer.

"He protected me when Mor'du an' his Vendal attacked Berk," Merida explained, a far away look in her eyes as she remembered, "Mor'du killed him."

"I am being sorry to hear zat," North stated solemnly, "Ze Demon Bear vas a blight upon ze land. Life ees being better veethout heem."

"Ah'll drink tae 'at," Merida replied with a melancholy chuckle, "Sae, where exactly are ye takin' me?"

"No vhere in particular," North answered as he stopped and looked around at the surrounding forest, "Here ees being a good a place as any."

"A good place fer whit exactly?" Merida questioned, quirking an eyebrow at North.

"Don't be vorrying, you veell be seeing Printsessa," North replied with a chuckle as he walked over to a fallen log and brushed some snow off of it before sitting down and beckoning Merida over, "Come, be sitting down veeth me."

Merida looked at North in confusion before walking over and sitting down next to him, Varis flapping down from the branches above them to settle back down onto her shoulder.

"Okay, Ah'm sittin' doon now," Merida said, crossing her arms and looking at North expectantly.

"Good," North stated with a smile before he reached into his pocket and pulled out something in a paper wrapper, "Now all ve are needing ees zees."

"Whit's 'at?" Merida questioned. cocking her head slightly to the side.

"Our bait," North replied as he unwrapped the item.

"Chocolate?" Merida asked in confusion as she saw the dark brown sweet North was unwrapping, "Whit dae we need chocolate fer?"

"Bait," North repeated as he stood up and walked a few paces away, looking back at Merida as he did. "You must be paying more attention eef you vant to be learning anyzing."

Merida rolled her eyes at North as the Rus set the chocolate down on the ground and quickly backed away from it.

"Zere," North said as he sat back down next to Merida, "Now ve shall be vaiting."

"Waitin' fer whit?" Merida questioned in confused frustration.

"You veell be seeing," North assured her, "For now, you must be patient and still. Eet vould also be helping eef you do not be looking at ze bait."

Merida sighed in annoyance before looking away from the chocolate sitting on the ground, studying some of the bare branches as they swayed in the chilling breeze, prompting her to adjust the knitted hat sitting on her head. For a what seemed like hours, Merida and North sat in silence, the only sound being the ruffle of Varis' feathers and the sound of Donner wandering around the area. Merida was about to say something when another sound caught her attention.

It was a subtle sound at first, so quiet she almost missed it. She heard the sound of branches shifting, twigs snapping and the sound of snow crunching underfoot. Something was moving through the undergrowth and it was coming right towards them. Slowly, Merida turned to look at North, a shocked look on her face. North's only response was to smile at her before bringing his finger up to his lips in a shushing motion.

As the noise grew closer, Merida could also make out the sound of a high-pitched chittering, almost as if something was talking in a language that she didn't understand. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a bush stir before she saw something walk into view.

As the creature moved into view, Merida did her best not to look directly at it, watching it out of the corner of her eye. It was a tiny creature, not more than a foot tall, looking almost like an incredibly small person. The little creature had pale features and a bald head, with large brown eyes and long, floppy ears that ended in points. It's head appeared large compared to the rest of its body, which was thin with spindly arms and legs. It wore a make shift tunic that appeared to be made out of leaves and other forest refuse.

As Merida watched, the creature cautiously moved further into view, sniffing the air with its little nose. Eventually, it caught sight of the chocolate sitting not far away, making an excited chittering noise before dashing over to the sweet. Turning her head completely to look at the creature, Merida watched as it took little handfuls of chocolate and greedily shoved them into its mouth.

"North," Merida whispered, her wide eyes remaining locked on the creature in front of her, "Whit is 'at?"

"Zat vould be an elf, Printsessa," North whispered back, grinning as he watched the creature devour the chocolate.

"An elf!?" Merida whispered harshly as she whipped her head around to look at North, "Elves are real!?"

"Of course zey are being real," North replied as he looked at Merida in confusion, "You vere not zeenking they were?"

"Nae!" Merida whispered loudly, "O' course nae!"

"I mentioned zem een my story," North pointed out, "You vere believing everyzing else but zat?"

"Ah jist thought ye were talkin' oot o' yer arse," Merida replied defensively, an embarrassed blush on her face as she turned to look at the elf again. As Merida watched, the elf wiped bits of chocolate off of his mouth before turning back towards the bushes from which he had come and chattering excitedly as he waved his hands above his head. A few moments later, three more elves emerged from the bushes, each looking similar to the first one and wearing similar makeshift clothes. As Merida watched, they descended gleefully upon the remaining chocolate.

"How hae we ne'er seen them afore?" Merida questioned as she watched the elves feast on the chocolate, "Ah've been through these woods dozens o' times an' ne'er seen any sign o' them."

"Elves are being skittish creatures," North explained, "They are being afraid of anyzing bigger zan zem, wheech ees being pretty much everyzing."

"Sae why did they come oot fer us?" Merida questioned.

"Elves are loving sweets, especially chocolate," North elaborated, "Also, zey are not being very bright, so zey are genuinely zeenking ve are not knowing zey are zere."

Merida contemplated what North had told her as she turned her attention back to the elves, watching as they finished the chocolate and pat their tiny stomachs in satisfaction.

"Whit now?" Merida questioned.

"Now, ve see eef you can be making anozer bond," North stated as he reached into his pocket, retrieved another wrapped piece of chocolate and held it out to Merida.

"Whit dae ye mean?" Merida questioned, giving North a confused look as she took the offered sweet.

"Elves are magical creatures," North explained, "Zey are sharing a connection veeth people like us. I am going to teach you on how to be using zat connection."

Merida looked at North then looked at the chocolate in her hand before nodding.

"Slowly take ze chocolate and offer eet to zem," North instructed, "Do not be making any sudden movements."

Nodding again, Merida carefully unwrapped the chocolate before turning her attention towards the elves, who were sitting on the ground around the discarded wrapper, one of them eagerly licking the remains off of his fingers. Slowly standing up, Merida took a few tentative steps towards the elves, who remained oblivious to her presence.

As she took another step, Merida's foot crunched in the snow, quickly drawing the elves' attentions. The elves' eyes widened in surprise and fear as they found Merida standing over them, a matching look of surprise plastered across her features. For a moment, the elves just stared at Merida with wide eyes before they all began to scream at the top of their little lungs. Merida cringed as she tried to calm the elves but they all began to scatter and run for cover in different directions. As they tried to scramble to safety, one of them slipped on the icy ground and fell onto his side. Taking another step towards him, the elf began to whimper as he curled up into a ball in a vain attempt to protect himself.

"Hush now, it's okay," Merida said soothingly as he lowered herself to her knees, "It's okay, little ane. Ah'm nae gaein' tae hurt ye."

Slowly, Merida brought the chocolate closer to the elf. Taking a few curious sniffs of the air, the elf's whimpers slowly began to fade as he began to uncurl, looking at Merida with his big eyes.

"'At's right," Merida said with an encouraging smile, "It's okay. Come on."

Carefully, the elf pushed himself back to his feet, his eyes trained on Merida as he did so.

"It's alright," Merida assured the elf, "Gae on, hae saeme."

The elf quickly glanced between the chocolate and Merida, taking a few more sniffs as he did so. Hesitantly, the elf reached out towards the chocolate, his eyes trained on Merida the whole time, before he quickly snatched a chunk and stuffed it into his mouth. Merida giggled as she watched the elf eat, seemingly putting the creature at ease, prompting him to grab more chocolate and devour it. Glancing towards the bushes, Merida saw the other elves hesitantly poking their heads out to watch.

"Come on," Merida said, using her free hand to wave them over, "There's plenty fer everyane."

At the same time the first elf turned to the others and waved them over, chattering encouragingly. The elves hesitantly wandered over to Merida and the first elf, and after a few encouraging squeaks from the first elf, they began feasting on the chocolate as well. Merida couldn't help but smile as she watched the elves happily ate the sweets.

"Vell done, Printsessa," North congratulated with a laugh. "Very vell done."

"Thanks," Merida replied as she placed the chocolate on the ground to let the elves eat the rest of the chocolate, brushing off her hands as she stood up, "Sae, whit happens now?"

"You have been making some friends here een ze forest," North explained, "Elves are not being ze smartest creatures, but zey are steell remembering zose vho are good to zem. You veell no doubt be learning just how many elves have been living on your island. Among ozer creatures."

"Other creatures?" Merida asked in reply.

"I am zeenking you are knowing ze ozer type of creatures zat are living een zese voods," North stated with a knowing smile.

"Th' wisps," Merida realized, a happy smile spreading across her face.

"I vould not be surprised eef you are seeing zem again soon," North explained before standing up and stretching his back, "I am believing eet ees being time for us to be heading back, da?"

Merida was about to reply when the sound of a large explosion echoed through the forest, bringing both of their attentions in the direction of the source as the elves screeched and ran for cover. As Merida and North watched, a plume of smoke and steam rose above the treeline into the air. They watched for a moment before the two of them looked at one another.

"I am zeenking ve are both knowing vhat caused zat," North commented.

"Aye, come on," Merida replied before she ran into the forest in the direction the explosion had come from, prompting North and Donner to follow behind as Varis cawed and flew above them.

Meanwhile,

"Does that usually happen?" Hiccup questioned as he stood up and brushed himself off.

"I don't know," Jack admitted, "I've never tried that before."

"So, are you going to tell me?" Hiccup questioned as he smoothed out his hair and eyed Jack.

"Tell you what?" Jack asked in reply as he dismissed his sword and wandered over to where his staff stuck out of the ground.

"You know what, Jack," Hiccup answered with narrowed eyes as he slid his sword back into its scabbard, "We had a deal."

"The deal was that you beat me," Jack stated as he pulled his staff out of the snow, "Like I said, it was a tie."

"Jack," Hiccup pressed with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Wow, somebody's feeling pushy today," Jack observed with a sigh, "Alright, Teacup. You want to know so badly, I'll tell you."

Jack wandered over to a nearby rock and sat down on it, prompting Hiccup to walk over and join him.

"So, as you picked up before, you're not the first person with a blessing that I've tried to train," Jack began, a pensive look on his face, "And it didn't exactly turn out that well."

"Who was he?" Hiccup questioned as he sat down next to Jack.

"She," Jack corrected, "Her name was...is Elsa."

"Is?" Hiccup asked with a raised eyebrow, "So, I'm guessing that she's still around. Things can't have gone that bad."

"Trust me, they did," Jack answered, his face an impassive mask.

"What kind of blessing does she have?" Hiccup questioned, "Lightning or something?"

"She...She had an ice blessing," Jack admitted with a sigh, guilt breaking through his features.

"Ice?" Hiccup questioned in confusion, "How did she get an ice blessing?"

"I gave it to her," Jack explained, a sad look in his eye as he turned his attention towards the ground.

"You...gave it to her?" Hiccup questioned, "Jack...why would you…?"

"Maybe I should start from the beginning," Jack interrupted, "I was born coming up on twenty one years ago in a land just south of here, near Arendelle. I wasn't born like someone like you. I was born as you see me just...a little less experienced."

"Do you...remember anything about your birth?" Hiccup asked, a concerned look on his face.

"Only bits and pieces," Jack answered with a sigh, shaking his head, "There was darkness...and a woman was crying...then I was in some ancient ruin. The first thing I remember seeing was a crescent moon shining through a hole in the ceiling."

"There was no one there with you?" Hiccup questioned.

"No, I was alone," Jack answered with a shake of his head, "At least until North found me there."

"Why was North there?" Hiccup inquired.

"I don't know. I don't think he knows," Jack replied with a shrug, "He just said the spirits told him he needed to be there."

"You've never been able to find out anything more about where you come from?" Hiccup asked.

"Nothing," Jack answered sadly before shaking his head again, "Anyway, you didn't want to hear my sob story. After he found me, North brought me to where he was living on the outskirts of Arendelle with a group of trolls. He was trying to teach me what I needed to know but he didn't understand how restless I could be yet."

"So you wandered off," Hiccup surmised.

"Yep, after North went to sleep, I snuck out, only about a month after I was born," Jack elaborated, "I went wandering and eventually ended up in the capital further south. So many people, so many buildings. I'd never seen anything like it. Especially not the castle."

A small smile spread across Jack's face.

"I spent some time exploring the castle," Jack went on, "Everyone was already asleep, so no really saw me. Eventually, I decided to take a peek inside and found an open window. I'm not really sure why the window was open, it was late in winter, not that I really understood that back then. Anyway, I went in and that's when I found her."

"Elsa? She lived in the castle?" Hiccup questioned, "That long ago she would have been just…"

"A baby," Jack finished with a nod, "She was in her parents room, in a crib near the window. I had never seen a baby before, so I went in to get a closer look. I must have woken her up because she was looking up at me when I looked into the crib. She seemed...scared and she was starting to cry."

"What did you do?" Hiccup asked.

"I tried to figure out a way to calm her down," Jack explained, his smile falling, "I was just learning how to control my own powers, but my first instinct was to create some little snowflakes to dance in front of her. It worked and she started to calm down. I thought she was going to fall asleep again so I reached down to stroke her head but,,,"

"But what?" Hiccup answered, a small sense of dread filling his chest.

"The magic...it must have still been in my hands," Jack explained, flexing his hand as he thought, "So when I touched her…"

"It went into her," Hiccup finished, a look of realization on his face, "You blessed her by accident."

"I had no idea what was happening until it was too late," Jack continued, pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them, "Her hair was blonde before, but it got lighter as the magic went into her, so light it almost became white like mine. She must not have enjoyed the feeling because she started to cry and shriek, which woke up her parents. Her mother screamed and her father started to yell. So, I ran."

"What happened after that?" Hiccup questioned, "I'm sure you didn't just leave her like that."

"No," Jack answered with a shake of his head, "First I went back to North and the trools and explained everything that had happened. North was quick to understand what I had done, including the fact that there was no taking it back. So, he decided to do the next best thing and we went back to explain what happened."

"How did that go?" Hiccup inquired.

"Pretty bad," Jack admitted with a cringe, "Turns out her dad is the king of Arendelle."

"The king!?" Hiccup asked in shock, "Elsa is a princess?"

"Yep, and I had just accidentally granted her magical powers," Jack continued, "The king wanted my head, but North was able to talk him down, mostly by appealing to the queen. There was no way for me to take the power back, or at least if there is I haven't found it yet. So the only real solution was for me, North and even the trolls to help her use them as she grew older. We got the king to reluctantly agree and so Arendelle basically became my home for the next couple of years."

"Years?" Hiccup questioned in surprise, "Sounds like things went pretty well actually."

"It did for awhile," Jack agreed with a nod, a small grin returning to his face, "Elsa and I bonded as she grew older. I know it sounds stupid to say about someone who was so young, but she was my best friend. Her powers weren't very strong at first, they seemed to grow as she grew older. It made it easier for her to control her powers as we learned how to use them together. Three years later, she had a little sister, Anna. Things were going great."

"And then they weren't," Hiccup guessed.

"And then they weren't," Jack agreed, his smile falling, "It happened around fifteen years ago, when Elsa was six and Anna was three. It was a night like any other. I wasn't sleeping, like usual and decided to check in on the two of them. I must have woken Anna, though she claimed it was the Northern lights. It didn't take long for her to get Elsa up and we all decided to play in the throne room."

Jack suddenly went quiet, his eyes clouded with memory as he stared down at the ground in front of him.

"What happened, Jack?" Hiccup pushed gently.

"Elsa was playing with Anna," Jack explained, an edge in his voice, "She was creating a bunch of ice towers that Anna was jumping between. Eventually, Anna got reckless and started jumping before Elsa created the towers, trusting her sister to catch. She kept going fast and faster until…"

Jack paused as he sighed as he closed his eyes in pain.

"Elsa accidentally hit Anna in the head with a blast of magic," Jack went on, his voice barely above a whisper, "Anna fell to the floor, out cold, and a white streak formed in her hair. Everything after that happened so fast. The king, the queen and North were woken and we all rushed to see the trolls for help. The leader of the trolls was able to figure out what had happened. Elsa's magic was seeping into Anna's mind and was threatening to freeze it solid. He was able to remove the magic, but not without damaging her memories. She's lucky to be alive."

"I'm guessing the king didn't take kindly to any of this," Hiccup observed, "Did he try to execute you? Banish you?"

"No, though I'm sure he wanted to," Jack answered, lowering his head as he continued to talk, "After we got everyone back to the castle, Elsa locked herself in her room and refused to talk to anyone. I was able to get into her room and tried to comfort her Elsa wasn't having any of it. She said it was her fault that Anna almost died and she kept calling herself a horrible person. Eventually it got to the point where I couldn't take it anymore and I...I said something I shouldn't have."

"What?" Hiccup questioned on the edge of his seat.

"We had never told Elsa where her powers had come from," Jack explained, taking his staff in both hands, "I couldn't watch her beat herself up like that, so I told her what I had done. Told her that it was my fault. After a few moments of shock, she agreed with me."

"Jack," Hiccup began to say but was cut off as Jack continued his story.

"She told me that she hated me," Jack went on with a small sniffle, "She told me that everything that had happened was my fault. She told me that she wished she had never met me. She said that she wanted me to go and that she never wanted to see me again."

Jack tightened the grip on his staff, holding it so tight that his knuckles began to turn white.

"So, I obliged her," Jack continued, a hitch in his voice as he spoke, "I left and I never looked back. North caught up with me awhile later and the two of us have been wandering ever since."

Jack let out another long, raggid sigh before chuckling as he quickly rubbed his eyes with the palm of one of his hands.

"There you go, Bishop," Jack said with a strained voice, "You wanted my story and now you've heard it. Now, you understand why I didn't want to do this initially. Now, you see why North was so hesitant. He gave up a lot to come with me. More than you'll probably ever know."

"Jack, I-" Hiccup began to say, uncertainty written on his face.

"Anyway, I think that's enough lessons for one day," Jack interrupted as he stood up and began walking away, "I'm sure you know the way back to the village. I'll see you later."

"Jack, wait!" Hiccup said as he quickly stood up and tried to follow the spirit.

"Hope you enjoyed the story," Jack continued, not looking back at Hiccup as he approached the forest's edge. Just as he did, Merida came running out, almost crashing into him.

"Jack!" Merida called in surprise as she skidded to a halt, "Whit's gaein' on? Whit…?"

Merida trailed off as she looked at Jack in confusion.

"Is everythin'…" Merida began to say, her confusion replaced with concern.

"Everything's fine, Carrot Top," Jack cut Merida off as he pushed past her, "Ask your boyfriend if you want the whole story, I've got places to be."

Before Merida could say anything else, Jack leapt into the forest canopy and disappear. A second later, Hiccup ran up, looking in the direction Jack had gone in. After a moment, Merida turned to look at Hiccup in confusion.

"Hiccup, whit's gaein' on? Whit happened?" Merida questioned, a worried look on her face, "An' why was Jack cryin'?"

A/N: So, a lot of people guessed one part of the reveal of this chapter, though I don't think anyone saw the other part. Hope you guys enjoyed this one, it was pretty fun to write. As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome so please review! Later!